DECUServe Journal November issue
Sharon Frey
November, 1993
=====================
Hello!
This issue of the Journal is slightly shorter than usual in order
to give me time to work on a super-duper issue for December. The December
issue will be like a double issue, and will be distributed at the San
Francisco National Event (along with the normal distribution methods).
Meanwhile, this issue contains the normal meaty technical articles
and a little humor from our gang. Hope you can sink your teeth into it!
Sharon Frey
fr...@eisner.decus.org
Table of Contents
-----------------
Comment from the Editor ........................ 1
Technical Info ................................. 37
Articles
LOGINOUT call out specs ..................... 2
Color Notebooks ............................. 2
TA867 Tape Drives - Experience and hints .... 14
Multiple Line NICKNAME behaviour ............ 19
Rdb Pre-backup procedure .................... 22
An equivalent to backup/image for SunOS? .... 29
Puns ........................................ 31
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 2
LOGINOUT call out specs
-----------------------
The following article is an extract of the DECUServe
Security conference topic 256. This conversation occurred
between July 7, 1993 and July 8, 1993.
By Ray Kaplan, Mark Schuster
(07/07/93 Kaplan)
-----------------
Greetings.
John Covert's mailing of the functional specs for the LOGINOUT callouts
just arrived in my Email. Let me know if I should post them here? Naw - 390
blocks of Postscript. Someone putting them up for FTP? Let me know if you
need them in the 'till then.
(07/08/93 Schuster)
-------------------
Yup! Just received a note from Hunter Goatley today, he's placed them
on FILE...@WKUVX1.BITNET or ftp.spc.edu.
(07/08/93 Schuster: Here they are)
-----------------------------------
Oops, forgot to tell you where to find them
[.MACRO32.SAVESETS]LOGINOUT-HOOKS.ZIP
Color Notebooks
---------------
The following article is an extract of the DECUServe
Personal_Computing conference topic 494. This discussion
occurred between August 4, 1993 and September 10, 1993.
By Jeff Killeen, John Gorentz, Rick Carter, Pete Sivia, Bob Christenson,
Larry Kilgallen, Jean-Francois Mezei, Gary Rice, Jamie Hanrahan,
Charlie Luce Jr., Billy Youdelman,
(08/04/93 Killeen)
------------------
I am looking for opinions on _Active Matrix_ Color PC notebooks. I want a
486 chip, 200+MB, and a 14K modem. My current thinking is a AST PowerExec
4/25SL Color Plus.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 3
Also when do you think we will see 400MB drives in these?
(08/05/93 Gorentz: Don't rule out Digital)
-------------------------------------------
I looked at AST briefly before buying a 486 monochrome notebook from
Digital. Seems to me that some of ASTs peripherals and add-ons were more
expensive than Digital's. You probably know that Digital sells an active matrix
color notebook. It doesn't sell a passive matrix one.
I suppose you'll see 400MB drives about as soon as you install Microsoft's
doublespace :-). (I haven't been that foolhardy myself, yet.)
Digital doesn't sell a 14K modem yet, but you could check out the ones
advertised by Megaherz. I like the idea of the tiny connector.
Digital's notebooks are expandable to 32MB of memory. I don't remember
about AST's, but many notebooks will go only to 20MB. I'm still waiting for the
16MB extra, though. I believe the expected delivery date is late this month.
A week or so ago I was talking about how I never saw a notebook vendor talk
about disk drive *performance* and interpreted it to mean it was generally
mediocre. I checked mine out using Norton Utilities' SYSINFO.EXE, and sure
enough, it has a relatively unimpressive 15ms access time. Of course, the very
next day, I saw the first ad for a notebook that bragged about disk performance.
I can't even remember the name off hand, but I have the ad on my desk at work.
This vendor also sells a 33MHz and I believe a 66MHz DX2 notebook. The ad was
in a supplement that came with last week's InfoWorld. If you're interested, I
can look it up tomorrow. The prices looked decent. It was the first ad I saw
that gave me the slightest twinge of regret over what I had bought.
I don't know if this is of interest to you, but you know those ads where
Desktop Direct says it will lease you up to $25K worth of computers with no
paperwork? It's for real. I didn't buy $25K worth, but I bought the notebook
plus docking station, external monitor, keyboard, etc, etc. My startup
business has no Dun and Bradstreet (?) credit rating, but they gulped and said
they intend to do business with small outfits like mine, and went ahead and did
the lease. I did have to convince them I was a good credit risk, of course,
but it was very much hassle free, and kind of fun helping them break new ground
(which they admitted they were doing). The fact that my lease was a first of
the kind for them caused all of perhaps a 12 hours delay in executing the order.
Desktop Direct is a very different beast from the rest of Digital.
(08/05/93 Killeen: AST = DEC)
------------------------------
I didn't think DEC had released the active matrix one yet.
Guess who makes the DEC Notebooks?
AST
> Digital's notebooks are expandable to 32MB of memory. I don't remember
> about AST's, but many notebooks will go only to 20MB. I'm still
The stuff for AST and the DEC notebooks are the same.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 4
> A week or so ago I was talking about how I never saw a notebook vendor
> talk about disk drive *performance* and interpreted it to mean it was
> generally mediocre. I checked mine out using Norton Utilities'
The vendor was likely Twinhead.
(08/05/93 Gorentz: Released = shipping?)
-----------------------------------------
> I didn't think DEC had released the active matrix one yet.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by released. It's very possible
they aren't shipping yet. (My docking station isn't expected to arrive until
some time in September or even October. Grumble, grumble.) But the catalog
lists an active matrix one.
BTW, I'm not sure the vendor with the fast disks is Twinhead, but it sells
a lot better docking station than Digital does. More slots.
(08/05/93 Carter: Way happy with my IBM ThinkPad 700C)
-------------------------------------------------------
We've been using the IBM ThinkPad 700C at Milcare since about the first
of February.
I've been very happy my ThinkPad. As a touch-typist, I've become a BIG fan
of the eraserhead pointing stick (mouse substitute) -- located in the middle of
the G, H, and B keys, with the left and right mouse buttons down below the space
bar where my thumbs can get at 'em nicely. I've always hated those perched
notebook mice -- I can't seem to use one without knocking it off the side of the
machine.
The newest model is the 720C, with a clock-doubled chip and PCMCIA 2 slots.
We don't have any of those yet.
Color is great in all but bright sunlight -- I've never hooked it to a
monitor, nor needed to.
I'm using a 14.4 Angia data/FAX modem in it, which I've tried with
DECUServe and it connects fine, but I haven't yet got it to negotiate reliable
mode (or at least it doesn't report it...but I've not yet played with that for
any length of time).
I really appreciate the removable hard drive. When I sent mine in for
repair, I just swapped my drive and charged battery with that of a
not-yet-in-use unit, moved my modem over as it had none, and was up and running
on my "loaner" in about 10 minutes.
Weight is a little over 7 lbs., which is a tad heavy, though currently
about right for A.M. color notebooks.
We have ~50 ThinkPad 700C and 3 or 4 ThinkPad 700 (monochrome version).
MAJOR problems with the monochrome ones -- every one of them has been in at
least once for a display repair. The 700Cs seem mostly pretty reliable.
Problems I've seen (aside from one dropped one):
- the little feet on the bottom that pop open with springs like to
spring right off -- 3 occurrences. The spring has gone flying in every
case and is un-findable, but we have all the legs (I'm getting our
dealer to just send me the springs, though IBM sells 'em only with
spare feet at like $20 each, so the dealer will only send me the three,
plus maybe one or two spares).
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 5
- The hinge area on mine came sort of apart right when I opened it in
airport security. Got it repaired in a week or so (though the machine
still booted fine for the nice security person who insisted I try :-( )
Other than that, no problems have come to my attention that weren't the
result of accidental misuse or abuse by our highly-dedicated team of
salesbeings.
(08/05/93 Gorentz: Keydata International Inc.)
-----------------------------------------------
The computer I was referring to in [my first reply] was the Keynote
Commander from Keydata International. I've never heard of this outfit before,
but it looks like they're more than a johnny one-note outfit. More like a
two- or three-note, in that they sell 2-3 different models of notebook computer.
The commander a has VESA Local Bus for video and IDE disk controller.
This is probably what gives it something to brag about in the way of disk
performance.
The ad cites reviews in PC Magazine (December 22, 1992), CBG&H (December
1992) and PC laptop (Feb 1993).
You probably don't want one, though. The biggest disk it offers is 120MB.
(My own plan for having more than 200 MB with my notebook is to add it in the
docking station.)
But I'll post the phone number anyway, in case anyone else is interested:
800-486-7010
800-486-4800 for corporate orders
FAX 908-756-7359
(08/05/93 Sivia: Delivery times might be wierd)
------------------------------------------------
FWIW: I happened to call Desktop Direct this afternoon regarding the
delivery time for the active matrix color DEC laptop (425SLC?) and was dismayed
to learned it's at 180 days from now. The reason given was that the active
displays are real scarce. Called Zeos to find out about their active matrix
color and it was either 1 week, 2 weeks or 3 weeks before delivery depending
upon how much disk you wanted with it. I dunno if I believe either vendor's lead
times having been both burned as well as pleased from one order to the next.
(08/05/93 Killeen: Maybe a Toshiba)
------------------------------------
The IBM 720C's are also in short supply - at least a 90 day lead time.
Toshiba IBM
T4600C 720C
---------- ----------
Chip 486/33 SL IBM 486SLC2
Display 9.5" 10.5" DTI
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 6
Disk 320MB 240MB
PCMCIA 2 slots 2 slots
Type III Type II
Questions...
Who is IBM's screen manufacturer DTI?
What is the difference between a Type II and Type III PCMCIA slot?
(08/05/93 Gorentz: What is the delivery time for AST active matrix?)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
According to an article in the same InfoWorld Direct in which I saw the
Keydata ad, AST manufactures its active matrix displays in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Now that the tariff on active-matrix displays has been lifted by the Commerce
Dept, it may start manufacturing them in the U.S., too.
Maybe in an effort to cut costs, Digital is waiting for Thor Heyerdahl to
ship a batch by raft. Or maybe AST cut them a dirty deal. Who knows. Any word
on delivery times for AST active matrix computers?
I noticed a Digital ad in the same publication. IMO it makes three
mistakes.
1) It advertises the active-matrix notebook. (Is it really wise to
advertise something you can't deliver?)
2) It doesn't let people know that you can expand the 4MB of memory to
32MB, or
3) get a 200MB hard disk instead of the standard 120MB one.
(08/05/93 Christenson: COMPAQ has been shipping)
-------------------------------------------------
We have been using COMPAQ Lite/LTE. Delivery in 30 days.
(08/06/93 Gorentz: Type III slots are fatter)
----------------------------------------------
> What is the difference between a Type II and Type III PCMCIA slot?
The type III slots are fatter. You may be able to stick a Type II card in a
Type III slot. I'm not absolutely sure about this, though. Keydata advertises,
"1 PCMCIA Type III slot (or 2 Type II)". I don't know if this means you can
choose one or the other configuration to buy, or if you can choose to stick
either one (1) Type III device or two (2) Type II ones in the available space.
Hmmm. My notebook has two Type II slots. I wonder if that means I could
use them for a single Type III device.
Either Type III or type IV (I disremember which) is expected to be used for
miniature hard disk drives.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 7
(08/06/93 Gorentz: At least it has a neat picture of a wind surfer)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I missed the most egregious mistake in Digital's ad. It lists both the
386SL (why bother) and the 486SL as having "2 drive bays." I wonder what that's
supposed to mean? Probably it's referring to two drive bays in the optional
docking station, but the ad doesn't mention the docking station.
I thought I was the only one who made dumb mistakes like that.
(And how come it refers to the active matrix version as a 486SL here, but
as a 486SLC in other ads?)
A bad day for quality control, it looks like.
(08/06/93 Gorentz: Speaking of inattention to detail... )
----------------------------------------------------------
> According to an article in the same InfoWorld Direct in which I saw the
> Keydata ad, AST manufactures its active matrix displays in Hong Kong
> and Taiwan. Now that the tariff on active-matrix displays has been
While driving home, I got to thinking that something is wrong with this
picture. I know that tariffs are usually counterproductive, but the idea of the
tariff was to keep the manufacture of the displays in the U.S. One would think
that dropping the tariff would mean manufacturing could then move offshore, not
the reverse.
The problem was that I hadn't read the article quite right. AST
manufactures the entire computer offshore, not just the display. The reason
was to evade the tariff. If you imported just a display, you had to pay the
tariff. But if you imported a whole computer (which just happened to have an
active matrix display), there was no tariff. So manufacture of entire computers
was moved offshore, and the tariff was, as usual, counterproductive.
I wonder if the long delivery times for Digital's active matrix computers
has anything to do with this mess. This explanation doesn't necessarily make
sense, but was Digital waiting for the tariff to go away? Six months, though...
(08/06/93 Kilgallen: PowerBook 180c looks quite nice)
------------------------------------------------------
I waited until the Boston MacWorld to go looking for the PowerBook 180C.
I liked what I saw, despite reviewer comments about short battery life, but
given my relatively light travel schedule and many activities which require VMS,
I am having a hard time convincing my boss :-).
(08/06/93 Gorentz: Notebooks reviewed in Aug 93 PC Magazine)
-------------------------------------------------------------
> Either Type III or type IV (I disremember which) is expected to be used
> for miniature hard disk drives.
According to the August PC Magazine, page 220, there are 42MB hard disks
available for Type III slots.
This issue is a special "Portable Computing" issue, and has extensive
reviews of many systems. Digital's 425SL (and even the 325SL) fared well in
them. The 425SLC was not reviewed -- I guess we now know why.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 8
It also contained a big waste of Digital advertising dollars -- a 16
page ad for AXP. It wasn't totally inept, but I think they could have done
better for their money.
(08/07/93 Mezei: Apple Powerbooks may not be INTEL boxes, but they are loaded)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I now have a Powerbook 170. I like its ergonomics, and for a laptop, it is
very well equipped.
2 serial ports, SCSI port, microphone input, stereo sound output, and built
in modem, and ADB port. Of course, you can use the 2nd serial port as network
port to connect to any appletalk network. You can plug in any apple keyboard and
use that keyboard instead of the built-in one.
The built in appletalk port is very handy when you go to a customer and you
need to get or give them files (and they have MACs...).
Also, with te PC exchange, you can read-write and format DOS disks, so you
can exchange data with the PC world.
So, as a laptop, the Powerbooks are very handy and nicely equipped. If you
wanted an intel box loaded with the same features (sound input and stereo sound
output, network port, SCSI port, external keyboard port tc), you'd have to buy a
lot of extras.
As far as the trackball is concerned, it can be easy to use if you are well
in the right position. But if you are standing up and demoing something, it can
be hard to use, but any pointing device woudl be hard to use is that
circumstance.
(08/12/93 Killeen: Memory)
---------------------------
Anything I should look out for when buying 3rd party memory for a T4600C.
(08/28/93 Killeen: T6600C - Everything but the kitchen sink...)
----------------------------------------------------------------
FWIW I ended up ordering a Toshbia T6600C. It is about 1/3 again larger
than your standard notebook. It has a 66mHz DX2 processor. 2 16bit full size
slots. 1/2 height 5 1/4" device slot. Full size 101-keyboard. Internal and
external SCSI. 10.4" active matrix LCD screen. SVGA monitor port. 1 16mm
PCMCIA slot. 1.44MB floppy. 510MB hard drive.
And it weights "only" 19lbs...
(08/30/93 Rice)
---------------
My Macintosh "Luggable" (the original Portable) claims a similar weight.
But, by the time you add an extra battery ('cause the 4 hours of quoted battery
time between charges is exceedingly optimistic) and of course an external
charger for the second battery and then there is a case to carry all of it in.
By the time I was through, the total weight came to a bit over 30 pounds.
But it didn't need a wall socket ...
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 9
(08/30/93 Killeen)
------------------
Toshiba understands this market - there is no battery in the T6600.
I have been amused at DECUS meetings watching the folks with battery
powered notebooks - within 2 hours they are all looking for wall sockets...
(08/30/93 Hanrahan)
-------------------
I keep wishing for the option to use alkaline cells in laptops. They have
roughly 3x the energy density of Ni-Cads. I wouldn't mind a bit buying two sets
at the beginning of a long flight. Unfortunately the voltage curve of an
alkaline isn't what most laptops are expecting to see, and the laptop assumes
that the alkalines are dead when they've barely gotten started. Maybe with one
extra cell in series...
Another idea would be to borrow a leaf from the consumer video market and
include a "docking port" for a Sony camcorder battery.
(08/30/93 Killeen)
------------------
The new DICONIX 701 printers use SONY NP55 Camcorder batteries
If you can get a 12v auto adapter for your notebook their are some nice 6-7
hour (meaning in real life 3-4 hours) battery bricks out there for camcorders.
They are about size of about 3 DC600A QIC tape cartridges stacked together.
(08/30/93 Gorentz: The HP OmniBook 300)
----------------------------------------
> I keep wishing for the option to use alkaline cells in laptops. They have
I'm not absolutely sure, but I think the new HP Omnibook uses alkaline
batteries. That is, the "flash card" version does -- the one with a regular
hard disk does not. I saw an ad in the WSJ that told, but have thrown it away.
The September Byte has an article about it and two other little notebooks, but a
quick reading through doesn't answer the question.
Some features of note: 2.9lb, 20-MHz 386SXLV, 2MB RAM, 10-MB flash disk,
Windows 3.1 in ROM, four PCMCIA 2.0 flots, keyboard with "normal" spacing of
keys. For a pointing device, it has a little mouse that pulls out, and is
attached by some sort of articulating arm. Battery life for this configuration
was about 12 hours. And it has an "instant resume" from standby, something I've
wanted on a PC ever since PCs came out. The display is monochrome.
I prefer monochrome anyway, for two reasons: battery life and my weary
eyes.
If I had money to burn, and wanted a machine just for taking notes,
writing, and occasional spreadsheet work, I'd want one of these.
(08/30/93 Luce)
---------------
The NEC VERSA lets you swap out the floppy drive for a second battery pack,
a game which you can keep going quite a while if pre-prepared...
Jeff, did you get the CD-ROM in your T6600?
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 10
(08/30/93 Killeen)
------------------
I am going to put 1.2 GB half height SCSI drive in the internal drive bay
instead of buying the T6600 with the CD-ROM. I plan on putting a SCSI 4mm tape
drive and CD-ROM in an external box. The T6600 has both internal and external
SCSI ports.
BTW - Toshiba has a BBS with information on all their products -
714.837.4408
(09/03/93 Gorentz: Using AA batteries to power Windows 3.1)
------------------------------------------------------------
I found some specs on this: 4.8-Vdc rechargeable battery pack with
nickel-metal-hydride cells. ... Power option for flash disk model -- battery
pack can be replaced by four 1.5-V AA batteries.
(09/09/93 Youdelman: IBM's newest offering)
--------------------------------------------
IBM PC COMPANY CREATES NEW MOBILE COMPUTING STANDARD WITH
THINKPAD 750 SERIES
September 8, 1993
Raising mobile computing innovation and design to new heights, the
IBM Personal Computer Company today unveiled the ThinkPad* 750 series.
In addition to being extremely light weight, the new top-of-the-line ThinkPad
notebooks provide full multimedia capabilities and are prepared to support
wireless communications, speech recognition and on-screen television. They are
also easy to customize for use both on the desktop and on the road.
"The ThinkPad 750 series raises mobile computing to the next generation,
improving significantly upon what were already widely regarded as the best
mobile solutions available," said Scott L. Bower, director of Mobile Computing.
"Users will find the design of the ThinkPad 750 more natural and intuitive than
traditional mobile computers. And as far as premium features go, the 750 series
has no peer -- it offers the most comprehensive combination of computing,
communications and entertainment options in any mobile product."
Desktop Power & Multimedia . . . On-the-Road
Desktop power and integrated multimedia capabilities are the building blocks for
the ThinkPad 750 series. Weighing approximately 5.5 pounds (depending on
configuration), the notebooks are powered by 486/33SL megahertz (MHz) processors
powerful enough to run the most demanding applications, with 170 megabyte (MB)
or 340MB hard disk drives and up to 20MB of memory.
To facilitate a variety of multimedia applications ranging from on-the-road
presentations to home entertainment, the line features high quality audio.
Integrated in each model are a 16-bit stereo audio subsystem and a high-fidelity
speaker, as well as input/output jacks capable of supporting microphones,
headphones or portable stereo speakers. An Mwave* audio codec (a stereo
analog-to-digital converter), integrated on the motherboard, is the heart of
this solution.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 11
For a further enhanced mobile multimedia solution, a multimedia-capable portable
docking station provides full-motion video, built-in stereo speakers and
expansion for mass storage devices, including CD-ROM. With an integrated handle
and a weight of only six pounds, the docking station can be carried easily to
multimedia presentations. Even with a 750 series notebook locked in place, the
total carrying weight is as little as 11.7 pounds.
For those seeking a complete out-of-the-box solution, IBM's Traveling Multimedia
package provides a ThinkPad notebook and docking station preloaded and
configured with a broad array of software, a CD-ROM drive and various
peripherals.
Future-Ready Design "Packs Like a Briefcase"
ThinkPad 750 models are uniquely simple to upgrade and service. Innovative
"pop-up" keyboards provide direct access to removable modular components -- hard
disk drive, "hot swapable" NiMH battery and 2.88MB floppy disk drive. Below the
floppy drive is a DRAM memory card slot.
Even more unique than the units' design is their ability to integrate innovative
new technologies as they become available. Users can now remove the floppy drive
to reduce travel weight, and soon -- first quarter 1994 -- will be able to
insert in its place a ThinkPad CDPD (cellular digital packet data) Mobile
Communications module** for wireless telephone, fax and electronic mail. Within
the same timeframe, a ThinkPad TV Tuner module** will also be available for this
bay, providing on-screen television and VCR playback capabilities. The IBM PC
Company has released the specifications for this bay so third parties can
develop additional add-in modules for the notebooks.
"The ThinkPad 750 series provides long-term mobile solutions because users can
add or substitute technologies as they emerge," said James D. Bartlett,
worldwide product line executive, Mobile Computing. "And interchanging these
components is as simple as packing a briefcase."
Like all ThinkPad products, the ThinkPad 750 series has the added expansion and
growth flexibility of industry-standard PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association) slots. The units are configured with a Type III
slot, capable of housing one Type III or two Type I or II PC cards. The slot
meets the latest PCMCIA specifications -- Release 2.01, providing version 2.0
card, socket and software services -- ensuring compatibility with the latest PC
cards.
Natural Selection
The ThinkPad 750 series can be customized by selecting from a variety of screen
choices and keyboard or keyboard/pen input.
The 750C, featuring a 10.4-inch, active-matrix color display; the 750Cs, with a
9.5-inch, dual-scan, passive-matrix color display; the 750P, a convertible unit
that allows both pen and keyboard input; and the 750, with a monochrome display
that is upgradable to either active-matrix color or pen.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 12
Voice input is also possible on all 750 series units when configured with IBM
VoiceType Control. Today, basic commands can be performed with this speech
recognition software, and more complex input, like dictation, will be possible
in the future.
Each 750 series model is among the lightest in its respective full-featured
class, and remarkably low travel weight can be achieved by removing the floppy
drive module. They also feature outstanding battery life. With its floppy
drive removed, the 750 weighs 5.0 pounds and operates up to 12 hours in a
typical workday environment; the 750Cs weighs 5.7 pounds with a battery life of
up to 8 hours; the 750C weighs 5.9 pounds, also with a battery life of up to 8
hours; and the 750P weighs 6.1 pounds and offers users up to 12 hours of battery
life. (With the floppy drive inserted, weights increase by half a pound.)
Like all keyboard-based ThinkPads, 750 series models feature IBM's highly
acclaimed TrackPoint II* integrated pointing device. Centrally situated between
the "G," "H" and "B" keys, this pressure-sensitive innovation provides left and
right handers comprehensive cursor control without leaving the typing position.
"People want mobile computing to be as natural and intuitive an experience as
possible, and that's how we approached the ThinkPad 750 series design," said Mr.
Bower. "This design offers a choice of input and displays, and makes accessing,
swapping or upgrading components simple and logical. Of course, exceptional
weight and battery life also contribute significantly to the user experience."
Docking for the Desktop or the Road
ThinkPad 750 models are available with a variety of docking options, making them
desktop alternatives in the office as well as multimedia presentation systems on
the road.
The ThinkPad Dock I docking station makes ThinkPad 750 notebooks ideal
alternatives to desktop PCs. Sleekly designed to match the 750 series, it
provides a full-size AT*-bus card slot and the ability to simultaneously manage
up to five internal and external SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) devices.
ThinkPad Dock I also replicates all ThinkPad 750 ports, and provides the AC
power for the notebook and charges the battery while docked. For mobile
multimedia presentations, ThinkPad Dock I also includes integrated stereo
speakers and a SCSI bay for an optional CD-ROM drive. The dock's carrying
handle is convenient for more than travel, serving as a palm rest during desktop
use.
For individuals interested in network connectivity and cable management, a port
replicator with a Type III PCMCIA slot is available. For those simply looking
for quick peripheral connection and disconnection, a model without PCMCIA is
also available.
Personal Amenities
Adding a final distinctive touch to the new ThinkPad series, all four models can
be personalized with an individual's or business's name on an engraved metallic
nameplate. There is no charge for this personalization, and a choice of three
type styles is offered.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 13
Also included with each unit is a value booklet, "Thank You's from ThinkPad,"
offering a wide range of business services and products for the mobile
professional. The redemption value of the offers in the booklet total
approximately $4,000.
At Your Service
All IBM ThinkPad 750 series mobile computers are covered by a three-year
warranty, international traveler's repair service and, in the U.S., by
convenient ThinkPad EasyServ send-in service (free of shipping charges) as well
as carry-in repair service. Optional on-site "where you are" repair service is
also available ($40/year), and all products come with a 30-day money-back
guarantee. The IBM HelpCenter is available to ThinkPad users 24-hours-a-day,
seven-days-a-week via toll-free phone, fax or electronic bulletin boards.
IBM PC Direct catalog pricing for the ThinkPad 750 series begins at $3,199.
(See attached sheet for detailed pricing and availability.) ThinkPad 750 series
products come standard with 4MB of memory and are preloaded with IBM DOS 6.1 and
Prodigy. The 750P comes with DOS 6.1, PenDOS, Microsoft Windows***3.1, Windows
for Pen Computing****1.0 and Prodigy.
The Mobile Computing group of the IBM PC Company is dedicated to providing
innovative and convenient access to and management of information -- anytime,
anyplace.
* Trademark or registered trademark of the International
Business Machines Corporation.
** Availability pending FCC approval.
*** Trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.
**** Trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
(09/09/93 Mezei: Impressed that this comes from IBM)
-----------------------------------------------------
I am impressed. Macintoshes are quickly losing their edge over Intel based
machines.
I think that IBM's offering is very good. MAC laptops only have mono sound
inputs, IBM's has stereo inputs. (both have stereo output though).
Of course, that figure of 12 hours of battery life is pretty hard to
believe, unless a typical workday at IBM involved using your laptop for 5
minutes and then letting it idle for the rest of the day :-)
One thing is clear, LAPTOPS are not a commodity item similar to cars.
You tend to change them every couple of years, and there are tons of models
available from various manufacturers, and IBM's offering are priced in the high
end in the same way that Cadilacs are priced high.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 14
(09/10/93 Youdelman)
--------------------
Well, just two days after introducing all this new hardware, IBM now claims
to be completely sold out of the large screen color model. But - no one's
willing to say just how many were even in the production run.. I just recently
started following all this, but appearently it's not the first time they've had
problems delivering such systems.
TA867 Tape Drives - Experience and hints
----------------------------------------
The following article is an extract of the DECUServe
conference topic 1441. The discussion occurred between
June 18, 1993 and September 2, 1993.
By Dale Coy, Dan Wing, Terry Kennedy, Alan Bruns, Linwood Ferguson
(06/18/93 Coy)
--------------
Although there are other topics about the Tx86x tape drives, I am opening
this one for *JUST* the TA867. That's the DSA (STI inerconnect) model that
usually is connected to an HSC controller.
The reason for a separate topic is that there are more differences in the
Tx86x line that might be suspected.
[For instance - the TF867, which looks the same, actually has a DSSI board
strapped to the drive, whereas the TA867 has a SCSI board strapped to the drive]
The TA867 has essentially a SCSI drive which is cabled to a controller box
that does the SCSI-to-STI translation.
This information is based on real testing and experience.
1. There is a switch somewhere in the controller that tells the controller
to do Tx85 or Tx86 style. If you have a TA867-style drive (6 GB), but
the installer fails to change the switch from Tx85 position, then you
will only get 2 GB formatting and 2 GB on a cartridge. The documentation
for flipping the switch is in the RELEASE NOTES for HSC Software Version
8.0 (sigh - ). And almost nobody knows about the switch.
2. After flipping the switch, there's no problem. Previously-formatted TX85
tapes can be _read_ and _written_ by the drive. And they can be INITed
to be the higher density (TX86) capacity. No need for degaussing or
anything else.
3. Note if you are using SLS - it needs to be told about TA86 tapes, but it
doesn't need to be told much - just the same thing as a TA85.
4. Before flipping the switch, the HSC sees the drive as a TA85 (SHOW TAPE
display). After flipping the switch, the HSC sees it as a TA86. That
seems to be uniform regardless of the cartridge actually in the drive (if
the cartridge is a Tx85 or Tx86).
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 15
5. The latest controller (the SCSI-to-STI thing) firmware revision is
Version 6. You see this with SHOW TAPE on the HSC, and it says FMS=6.
6. If you try to read a TK50 tape,
MOUNT/OVER=ID works fine and tells you the correct volume label.
On the HSC, SHOW TAPE says "Density: TK50 MODE".
... However, the only other thing that works is DISmount.
... Copy and Dir result in lots of "soft" device errors ("Invalid
Command").
The answer is Version 7 firmware, probably in the next month or two. Or if
it's really vital, it could be "special cased" right now.
7. I have not tried a TK70 tape, but I suspect that the result would be the
same as for the TK50.
8. The K.si controller board for the TA867 should be the highest Requestor
(on our HSC-90, Requestor number 9). Of course, with typical logic, the
"highest requestor" is really the lowest-numbered slot that you can use.
[If the tape requestor isn't the highest priority, you will almost surely
see timeouts]
9. Performance is very good, as far as I am concerned. Our backups are now
limited by how fast we can get the data *OFF* of the disks, rather than
any other factor. Writing the tape is not a speed-limitation with this
setup.
(07/19/93 Wing: HSC requestor location?)
-----------------------------------------
> 8. The K.si controller board for the TA867 should be the highest
I have heard that this does matter, and that this doesn't matter. Is this
documented anywhere? I recall hearing it made a difference depending on which
HSCxx model you had, and certain versions of the HSC software....?
(06/19/93 Coy: A long "it depends" answer)
-------------------------------------------
Indirect evidence:
Initial situation: Pair of HSC-90s, each with 2 disk requestors in the usual
configuration, and normally with the disk "active paths" split between the HSCs
(that is, load roughly balanced).
Installed K.si for tape in a slot with lower priority than either disk
requestor (tape requestor only on HSC0 - no redundancy yet). Backups seemed to
go OK, but a bit slow for my taste.
"ReTuned" backup account for new situation (mostly increased WSDEF).
Started getting strange errors (something like "Tape device not asserting ready
when expected"). SICL kindly sent these via e-mail to the CSC.
FS moved tape requestor to Requestor number 9. This error quit appearing.
Then I failed-over *ALL* disk drives to the same HSC (that is - the one with the
tape, too). And a complete backup ran without giving the error.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 16
>I have heard that this does matter, and that this doesn't matter. Is this
Other evidence: the same thing used to happen to us (elsewhere) with a
TA-78 on an HSC-50, with RA-81 drives - until we moved the tape requestor to the
highest priority.
I am sure there is a relationship with the HSC model (how fast it is), and
my experience says that if your Backup account isn't tuned very well you won't
see the problem (often) either. And I am guessing that there is a relationship
with the speed of the CPU running Backup and with the transfer speed of the
disks being backed up.
I think I recall some "old" articles on DSIN (and/or DSNlink) - probably
about the TA78 and/or TA79.
The general subject of requestor priority is discussed in the HSC manual.
(06/19/93 Kennedy: Documented)
-------------------------------
>I have heard that this does matter, and that this doesn't matter. Is this
HSC release notes for V4.x (HSC50) and V5.x (HSCother). There's a note that
the new software tries to compensate for this, but that you should have the
tapes at a higher priority. If this isn't enough, let me know and I'll pull the
notes and post the part number and exact text.
(06/19/93 Wing: thanks)
------------------------
Thanks. I'll make sure we get our tape card installed correctly.
(06/21/93 Wing: found it, thanks!)
-----------------------------------
> 8. The K.si controller board for the TA867 should be the highest
The HSC version 8.0 user's guide, page 5-7, references this prioritization.
Is there also a prioritization on the requestor card itself? I couldn't
find a reference to that (if there is such a thing).
I sure enjoy all the references all over the place to not fill up your
$12,000 requestor card and to leave some of the slots empty! Yeah, right.
I also noticed some DSNlink articles in the HSC database which mention some
changes that have taken place to try to solve some problems with fast tape
and disk drives connected to the HSC.
(06/21/93 Kennedy: Various)
----------------------------
> Is there also a prioritization on the requestor card itself? I couldn't
No. On all the cards I've seen (up to and including the 8-port SDI card)
they're of equal priority. However, this might not be true for the newer cards
like the SCSI one (if it has more than 1 SCSI bus, that is).
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 17
> I sure enjoy all the references all over the place to not fill up your
> $12,000 requestor card and to leave some of the slots empty! Yeah, right.
Yup. This is the biggest strike against the 8-port cards. On the other hand,
I don't see any difference between the original HSC5X-BA card (at the current
rev levels) and the newest cards, so I just buy the old ones for $750.
> I also noticed some DSNlink articles in the HSC database which mention some
There's an HSC database? How interesting! My software contracts person told
me HSC was part of my hardware agreement. Can you tell me the part number on
your contract that gets you HSC updates and/or database access, and if it's free
or not?
(06/21/93 Coy: A bit of info)
------------------------------
I hope Dan can give you a number. All I can tell you is that there *IS* an
HSC database on DSNlink, and I don't remember ever seeing any "updates" or
"patches" distributed through DSNlink. As long as you have Digital HSC Hardware
support and DSNlink, it should be "free".
(06/22/93 Wing: There is an HSC database)
------------------------------------------
There is an HSC database in DSNlink, and the only software I've gotten from
it was the PREFER program (which shipped with VMS V5.4, I believe).
For other people's reference, there is a "list of databases" in the
"DSNLINK" database -- you should download this (it is about 225 blocks) and make
sure you have access to all the DSNlink databases you think you should be able
to access.
There are some electronic mail addresses for hardware issues as well --
there was a Flash mail message sent out a few weeks ago about that. I've found
these useful to ask questions about VAXsim.
The only mention of HSC on my contract that talks about HSC software is part
number QX926-37, which is "HSC40/60/70/90 S/W SMS RX33 Self Maintenance
Service." Hope that helps.
(06/22/93 Bruns)
----------------
On my service contract, it's QX930-8G, described as "HSC UPDATE", and "Basic
Software Service", for a monthly charge of 0.00. That line's been on my
contract for at least 5 years, so no telling if it's current or not. But the
price is right :-)
(08/03/93 Wing: two TA867s on same card?)
------------------------------------------
Someday I hope to purchase a second TA867 (I don't have ours hooked up
yet!); any problmes running two backups on the same STI card at the same time?
Or could we cause a timeout because of all the IOs queued to one of the ports?
Seems like the HSC's card should handle it, ...???
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 18
(08/08/93 Coy: Some recent info)
---------------------------------
Dan, the numbers look to me like two TA867s would be OK on the same card.
But you should probably verify that with someone in support (just who I wouldn't
know).
Some other information has recently (as in, today) come to hand about the
TA867 and its cousins (TA857, SA100, SA106).
The formatter board (housed in the outboard box) is manufactured by System
Industries.
The most recent firmware revision is V7. It is actually a small set of ROMs
plus (in field installation) a short set of etch-cuts-and-added-wires for the
formatter board.
The firmware revision is designed to correct symptoms:
o random "off-line" and/or "unexpected available" errors.
o inability to use the "DIR" command.
o HSC reboots and/or host clears.
V7 is still _very_ new. If you have never seen one of the problems above,
then I would recommend just letting your FS folks know that you will be
expecting to receive it in a few weeks. However, if you have ever seen one of
the problems, I would recommend pushing for a relatively rapid upgrade.
There is still an "issue" concerning coordination of how to handle drive
density. I gather that the issue is between the tape hardware folks and some
set of VMS engineering folks. Apparently the correction, when it comes, will
involve both the tape drive and a set of software stuff like TUDRIVER and COPY
and MOUNT and ...
(08/15/93 Coy: Tape drive microcode Version 11)
------------------------------------------------
In addition to Rev 7 of the Formatter board, you will want to have Version
11 of the tape drive microcode.
When all is said and done, doing SHOW TAPE will look something like:
Type Version
TA86 DMC-11, DHV-67
FMC-7, FHV-1
Density: TA85 MODE
^^^^
Yes, this is "correct".
Loading the revised tape microcode is rather interesting. The CSC copied
the microcode to my system (via phone - KERMIT?), then wrote it to a scratch
tape, and had me punch some buttons on the drive to get it to load the code from
the tape.
(09/02/93 Ferguson: Compression?)
----------------------------------
In the latest Corporate Computer (which just went to paid subscription,
sadly) they say that in the "summer" the Tx86 tape drives from DEC will support
compression.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 19
Anyone know anything about it?
And whether "summer" means 93 (like now) or 94?
Multiple Line NICKNAME behaviour
--------------------------------
The following article is an extract of the DECUServe
All_In_1 conference topic 913. The discussion occurred
between July 16, 1993 and July 21, 1993.
By Bob Christenson, Larry Rosenbaum, Don Vickers, Steve Bonine,
(07/16/93 Christenson)
----------------------
When using CNS (Create Nickname from Sender) on a long address string such
as X.400, the string is split into several lines. When the nickname is then
used to send a message the blank spaces at the end of the lines are appended
when the address is "put together" in one string again. This of course causes
the mailers to choke and puke. Any thoughts?
Example:
Nickname Entry
Nickname: TEST
-----------
Mail Address: Joe User@4=5555551212@4=SOMEINFO@OU4=1@P=WIDGETS@A=A
-----------------------------------------------------------
TTMAIL@1=US@MAILBOX@NODENAME
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
*******************
Message Header:
Addressees:
TO: Remote Addressee (Joe Users@...@2=A TTMAIL@...@NODENAME)
^^^^^^
These are the spaces at the end of line 1)^
(07/16/93 Rosenbaum: Another "feature")
----------------------------------------
Named data for form EM$CNS (create nickname from sender)
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 20
ARG /OVERLAY/HARD=EM$_CNS_HRD_TITLE/POST="IFEXIT\
WRITE ADD NIENTR NICKNAME = NICKNAME,
REALNAME = #EMAON:56,
REALNAME = #EMAON:56,
REALNAME2 = #EMAON:78:56,
REALNAME3 = #EMAON:78:134,
REALNAME4 = #EMAON:78:212\
GET OA$DISPLAY EM$_CNS_NICKNAME_CREATED"
/PRE= "GET #EMAON = CAB$.FROM_ADDRESS[OA$CURDOC]"
Field layout of NIENTR (Nickname file entry form):
*** Form NIENTR | Len | Row | Col | Posn | Set ***
* Field: *
* Field: NICKNAME | 15 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 *
* Field: REALNAME | 64 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 0 *
* Field: REALNAME2 | 64 | 19 | 16 | 79 | 0 *
* Field: REALNAME3 | 64 | 20 | 16 | 143 | 0 *
* Field: REALNAME4 | 64 | 21 | 16 | 207 | 0 *
*** ***
Therefore, CNS is folding the address in the wrong place.
(07/16/93 Christenson: Fixable?)
---------------------------------
Whew! Not being the A1 programmer type, this is a greek episode. Is this a
"feature" that can be fixed? Should I pursue this with CSC? Thanks for the most
thorough reply!
(07/16/93 Vickers: Good news - and two 'easy' ways to fix it)
--------------------------------------------------------------
The good news is that it is very easy to make the change to have the fields
align. The bad news is that my explanation may not be able to communicate to
you how to do it.
This certainly appears to be one of those bug things and certainly should be
reported to the CSC. If you play your cards right and are really good at
convincing them you might be able to get them to log onto your system and
confirm the behaviour (it's an English bug ;'). While they are 'confirming the
bug you can suggest that to 'prove' it they should correct it on your system.
It's worth a try.
As I said above, it is easy to make the change. You will need to have access
to Customization Management which is probably easiest done from the Manager
account (login as ALLIN1 and do ALLIN1/USER=MANAGER).
What Larry discovered and showed in his reply was that the CNS form, EM$CNS
as using field lengths of 56 and 78 when the actual data file, as described by
the NIENTR form, has fields with lengths of 64.
You will want to alter the Named Data of the EM$CNS form which is
accessible via the ABE (Access Base Elements) from the CM menu. Use the SEL
option to select a Name of EM$CNS and Type of FRM. Then do the CO option to
copy it to development. Go back to the CM menu to edit the Named Data of the
form by entering E ND.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 21
You should see the text Larry showed in .1:
ARG /OVERLAY/HARD=EM$_CNS_HRD_TITLE/POST="IFEXIT\
WRITE ADD NIENTR NICKNAME = NICKNAME,
REALNAME = #EMAON:56,
REALNAME2 = #EMAON:78:56,
REALNAME3 = #EMAON:78:134,
REALNAME4 = #EMAON:78:212\
GET OA$DISPLAY EM$_CNS_NICKNAME_CREATED"
/PRE= "GET #EMAON = CAB$.FROM_ADDRESS[OA$CURDOC]"
You should change the code loading the fields to be:
REALNAME = #EMAON:64,
REALNAME2 = #EMAON:64:64,
REALNAME3 = #EMAON:64:128,
REALNAME4 = #EMAON:64:172\
There are some hidden fields which are also badly sized in even more strange
ways on this form but they don't APPEAR to be used so I BELIEVE changing the 4
lines above is all that is required.
Exit from the editor and go try the CNS option and see whether it works.
This assumes that the DEVELOPMENT search order in in effect. You can test by
doing a CTRL/N while on the EM$CNS form and seeing whether the forms library is
DEVELOP or OAFORM on the third line.
If this solves the problem then you will want to move the element to live.
Let us know and someone will be more than happy to help if you can't wade
(pardon the poor pun :') through the documentation.
(07/19/93 Christenson: Forward ever forward)
---------------------------------------------
Thanks for all the feedback. I will pace these notes along to our ALLIN1
manager and see if she can implement the fixes. I will also report this to CSC
and see what comes of that.
(07/21/93 Bonine: Use of long addresses wasn't really tested by DEC.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This bug is already listed in DSNlink, with the fix that Don outlined.
We ran into two related problems.
1. If you used [the fixed verson of] CNS to created a nickname and that
nickname contains embedded parentheses, you cannot use the nickname.
Embedded parens are common in X.400 addresses. The substitution code
gets confused putting the address in the TO: field and splits it at the
first open paren. The circumvention is to enclose the entire mail
address in another set of parentheses. This can be done in the EM$CNS
form by checking for whether the address contains "(" and then simply
placing a set of parens around the entire address. This problem is
documented as being fixed in patch 3065, but it is not fixed.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 22
2. If you try to use an X.400 address in a GROUP, you'll be disappointed.
It is truncated at about 40 characters. This is not long enough for any
"real" X.400 address. This problem is documented in DSNlink with a note
that it isn't going to be fixed.
Rdb Pre-backup procedure
------------------------
This article is an extract of the DECUServe Databases
conference topic 320. The discussion occurred between
August 11, 1993 and August 13, 1993.
By Bret Wortman, Curtis Reid, Linwood Ferguson, Larry Stone, Bill Wood
(08/11/93 Wortman)
------------------
At the risk of belaboring the obvoius....
I've written a command procedure that we use to pre-backup our Rdb
databases. What I'm looking for is twofold:
o Did I miss anything obvious? It works fine for us, but we're a
small shop.
o Is this something that might be useful to anyone else?
The actual file, REB_PRE-BACKUP.COM is in USR_SCRATCH:[WORTMAN], and some
explanatory notes follow here.
(08/11/93 Wortman: Notes)
--------------------------
A few things to know about RDB_PRE-BACKUP.COM:
It will only check disks that match its search criterion, which is:
o Devices whose names match "_MYNODE*"
o Devices whose DEVCLASS matches DC$_DISK
So if your device names don't match the search string above, or you need to
back up databases on devices whose DEVCLASS is other than DC$_DISK, you'll need
to make some changes. Please let me know what you've done -- it may make it
into a future version.
Also note that THIS DOES NOT ACTUALLY BACKUP YOUR DATABASES! It only makes
the .RBF files that VMS BACKUP can use to perform this task. It's up to you to
make sure that this procedure runs before each backup of your databases.
We also don't do anything here with After-Image Journaling.
***VERY IMPORTANT***
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 23
While everything at my disposal tells me that this procedure will run on any
VAX out there today, running any version of VMS that exists today, one very
important precaution should be taken:
Make sure that your system thinks that DC$_DISK is equal to 1. Here's
how:
$ SET DEFAULT SYS$LIBRARY
$ LIB/EXTRACT=$DCDEF/OUTPUT=$DCDEF/MACRO STARLET
$ SEARCH $DCDEF.MAR "DC$_DISK"
You should see something like:
$EQU DC$_DISK 1
If the number at the far right *is* 1, you don't need to change a thing.
If it isn't, change that value in RDB_PRD-BACKUP.COM
Logical Names
The following logical names may be defined for use by RDB_PRE-BACKUP.COM:
RPB_NOTIFY_LIST can be used to specify a list of users who should be
notified whenever anything out of the ordinary happens. This
should be a comma-separated list of VMS usernames. It defaults to
SYSTEM if none are specified.
RPB_TIMEOUT can be used to alter the timeout waiting for Database Quiet
Point value. It is specified in seconds and defaults to 600 if no
value is specified.
RPB_RMU_QUALS can be used to specify any additional qualifiers to the
RMU/BACKUP command beyond those provided by this procedure.
Planned Enhancements
o Support for messages to users who are blocking you from getting a
Quiet Point lock.
o Support for user-customizable action procedures to respond to
situations during backup.
(08/11/93 Reid: What is "pre-backup"?)
---------------------------------------
This looks very interesting!
Could you elaborate further on what you mean by "pre-backup RDB"? I'm
curious as to what it entails. (I know I could read the DCL code but I'm tired
from work today. :-)
(08/11/93 Wortman: preparing files for VMS Backup, which doesn't like .RDB file)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basically, VMS Backup isn't supported for backing up .RDB files, so we use
RMU/BACKUP to create .RBF files before our nightly BACKUP runs and snags the
.RBFs.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 24
It's moderately tailorable (since I like writing things this way even when I
*don't* anticipate it ever leaving my system) and *should* be "drop in and go"
on most systems.
Mileage may vary.
Did that answer your question, Curtis?
(08/12/93 Reid: Yep)
---------------------
Yea, and this might just fit the bill I'm looking for. Our Tech. Support
tells me that VMS BACKUP will back up everything. I know, I know!
I'll give it a try on my system and see how it goes! Stay tuned in a
while!
(08/12/93 Ferguson: Don't disbelieve everything you hear)
----------------------------------------------------------
Well, under certain very carefully controlled circumstances they are correct
(probably a subject for a different topic). For example, I bet 99% of the
people using CDD use VMS to back up their Rdb database that is contained within
it, and are perfectly happy doing so (ignorance is bliss... no, no more bliss,
ignorance is C :-)
Just to further muddy the waters, you should keep in mind that RMU can
backup faster to tape than VMS can, under most circumstances, or at least faster
than doing an RMU backup to disk and then VMS backup of that to tape.
(08/12/93 Stone: Now I understand)
-----------------------------------
Oh!!! A database backup. I have to admit the term "pre-backup" confused me
too.
I haven't looked at it yet but what we do is:
1) RMU/BACKUP/AFTER_JOURNAL to back up the AIJ file to disk.
2) RMU/BACKUP/ONLINE to backup the database itself to disk.
3) VMS BACKUP (image or incremental) to tape.
AIJ backups are deleted by the VMS backup procedure after they're on tape
(AIJ backups are incremental - if you do two AIJ backups between database
backups, you need both). RBFs are also only deleted once they're on tape.
(08/12/93 Wood: Backup is easy, can you restore?)
--------------------------------------------------
> Well, under certain very carefully controlled circumstances they are
> correct (probably a subject for a different topic). For example,
Well, you *can* back up anything on a VMS disk using VMS backup. The real
question is whether you can recover anything useful from the backup if you need
it. It might be interesting to access a CDD+ dictionary, and while the access
occurs have Tech Support do a backup, and then restore the backup to a scratch
disk and see whether the results are useful.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 25
The last time I talked to CSC the "approved" method for backing up CDD+
dictionaries is to:
- shut down the dictionary
- use RMU/BACKUP to backup the Rdb database
- use VMS backup to backup the rest of the files in the dictionary
- reopen the dictionary
(Note that this includes the Compatibility dictionary.)
(Also note that if you have 2 or more dictionaries with references
between them all connected dictionaries should be shut down and backed
up at the same time. Also, recovery of one dictionary may require
recovery of the other, connected, dictionaries to the same point in
time. Furthermore, if you don't restore all connected dictionaries to
the same point in time CDD might not complain until several months
later.)
Since I can't shut down DTR and CDD I use RMU/BACKUP/ONLINE and
BACKUP/IGNORE=INTERLOCK, and hope that I never need to do a recovery.
(08/12/93 Reid: Minor Correction)
----------------------------------
> The actual file, REB_PRE-BACKUP.COM is in USR_SCRATCH:[WORTMAN], and
^^^
RDB_PRE-BACKUP.COM
(08/12/93 Reid: A very little change)
--------------------------------------
> $ SET DEFAULT SYS$LIBRARY
> $ LIB/EXTRACT=$DCDEF/OUTPUT=$DCDEF/MACRO STARLET
> $ SEARCH $DCDEF.MAR "DC$_DISK"
Since Sys$Library would be write protected, the alternative would be to
use:
$ LIB/EXTRACT=$DCDEF/OUTPUT=$DCDEF/MACRO SYS$LIBRARY:STARLET
$ SEARCH $DCDEF.MAR "DC$_DISK"
(08/12/93 Reid: Doesn't do what I want)
----------------------------------------
I tried running the @RDB_PRE-BACKUP. It kept ending. Reading the DCL
carefully, it appears that if devnam .eqs. "" then goto _all_done.
I checked the values as needed by your procedure:
nodnam = "VAXA"
disknam = "_VAXA*"
devnam = ""
Now, I'm not clear what you are trying to do here?
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 26
My backup consist of:
$RMU/Backup DB_SVP_RDB:SVP -
db$user:[svp.data.backups]svp_bkup
Logical DB_SVP_RDB point to CLUS_NTID:[467DEPT.SVP.DATA] and DB$USER
point to CLUS_NTID:[467DEPT.]. And, CLUS_NTID is device DSA59.
It is a backup as .RBF to another subdirectory. Then the VMS BACKUP
backs everything to tape.
Any other solution?
(08/12/93 Wortman: Methodology and "patch")
--------------------------------------------
> I tried running the @RDB_PRE-BACKUP. It kept ending. Reading the DCL
> carefully, it appears that if devnam .eqs. "" then goto _all_done.
Grrrrrr....
> I checked the values as needed by your procedure:
>
> nodnam = "VAXA"
> disknam = "_VAXA*"
> devnam = ""
You almost panicked me here -- we have a node named VAXA too -- until I
searched the code to find it and it wasn't there. <Wipe brow>
> Now, I'm not clear what you are trying to do here?
I needed a way to traipse through every disk we have without having to
maintain a list of disks somewhere, and we wanted the backup operations to run
local to those disks. So I'm searching disks by using F$DEVICE and attempting
to match the disk name, which for us looks like:
_WORTMN$DKA100:
_WORTMN$DKA200:
_WORTMN$DKA300:
and so on. So using "_WORTMN*" for the value of disknam and performing the
f$device search *should* return each full physical device name into devnam --
and leave it blank after they've all been returned.
> My backup consist of:
>
> $RMU/Backup DB_SVP_RDB:SVP -
> db$user:[svp.data.backups]svp_bkup
>
> Logical DB_SVP_RDB point to CLUS_NTID:[467DEPT.SVP.DATA] and DB$USER
> point to CLUS_NTID:[467DEPT.]. And, CLUS_NTID is device DSA59.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 27
Hmmmmm. I'm working with physical device names rather than logicals --
you'd need to run this procedure on whatever node has the disk mounted.
Alternately, change the assignment of disknam to look like:
$ disknam = "_*"
and then it'll scan *all* disks on your cluster, regardless of allocation class
or where the disk is mounted.
> It is a backup as .RBF to another subdirectory. Then the VMS BACKUP
> backs everything to tape.
Ditto here, this just creates the .rbf (although it does it in the same
directory as the .rdb) -- it's up to regular nightly BACKUP procedures to do the
rest.
And AIJ isn't handled here, mainly because we don't have it yet. (We're
*real* new to Rdb -- just converting existing systems now).
Thanks for the comments -- give the above one-line change a try and let
me know if it works for you, and I'll try to find a way to wedge it in as a
choice in the code.
(08/12/93 Wortman: Practice safe VAX.... ;-) )
------------------------------------------------
> Since Sys$Library would be write protected, the alternative would be to
> use:
Thanks! This is a much better idea. I keep forgetting that the rest of the
world isn't quite as "sloppy" as I can be at times. :-)
(08/12/93 Wortman: V1.2)
-------------------------
Okay, newly patched version is in USR_SCRATCH:[WORTMAN]RDB_PRE-BACKUP.COM
To get it to scan all disks, just define the logical name
"RPB_SCAN_ALL_DISKS" to be ... anything but null.
$ if p1 .nes. "ALL" .or. f$trnlnm("RPB_SCAN_ALL_DISKS") .nes. ""
$ then
$ disknam = "_" + nodnam + "*"
$ else
$ disknam = "_*"
$ endif
As this shows, you can also send it P1 = "ALL" for a one-shot test if
you'd like to avoid defining more logicals. *I haven't tested this* cause I
spent the day moving shipping cartons around at our very-trashed-by-the-flood
plant, but it sure *looks* straightforward to me....
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 28
(08/13/93 Ferguson: It's useful to understand what works and what doesn't)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Well, you *can* back up anything on a VMS disk using VMS backup. The
> real question is whether you can recover anything useful from the
Notice I said I bet 99% of people do it, not that they should do it. :-)
If an Rdb database is not opened during the backup, and if all fragments
everywhere of it are backed up at the same time (i.e. before it is opened again
by anyone), and it is not marked /nobackup or /ignore=nobackup is used, then VMS
backup will backup and restore an Rdb database just fine.
Similarly, if you have a questionable disk and close all Rdb databases,
do an image backup of the disk, and image restore (or disk to disk copy), the
Rdb database will be usable (provided, if it is a multifile database, it is
restored to a device of the same name).
I am not recommending people use VMS backup for Rdb databases. I recommend
you use RMU backup for that. But there are circumstances where it works, and
like other VMS trivia it is worth understanding the uses and limitations.
(08/13/93 Reid: Requires privs?)
---------------------------------
>$ filspec = f$search("''devnam'[*...]*.rdb") ! Who's up to bat?
It requires SETPRV or READ privilege? I don't have these -- only those
that I own my own RDBs; not others.
(08/13/93 Stone: It's safer to say no)
---------------------------------------
I strongly suspect that the reason DEC says don't use VMS Backup on Rdb
databases is most customers don't understand under what circumstances VMS Backup
is safe. It's far easier to say NO rather than try to spell out when it is safe
knowing that some customers will get it wrong and corrupt their databases.
The only time we use VMS Backup on our Rdb databases is for disk defrags
which is done as a disk-to-disk standalone image backup from one shadow set
member to the other. Since logically nothing changes, I can not see any added
risks from not doing an RMU Backup and Restore before and after the change.
(08/13/93 Ferguson: Gesh, must be a religious subject)
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am not recommending people use VMS backup for Rdb databases. I
> recommend you use RMU backup for that. But there are circumstances
Yep. To repeat: I recommend you use RMU backup for Rdb databases.
Consider the discussion one of academic interest, like how to recover data
from an INIT'd tape: the best solution is not to init it.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 29
An equivalent to backup/image for SunOS?
----------------------------------------
This article was extracted from the DECUServe Unix_OS
conference topic 207. This discussion occurred between
July 20, 1993 and August 1, 1993.
By John Gorentz, Joe Matuscak, Terry Kennedy, Bill Mayhew
(07/20/93 Gorentz)
------------------
A colleague and I were talking about the article, "Don't let the Sun go
down" in the latest DN&R that I mentioned in the Business Practices conference
(Note 270.13):
|BTW, Amaru enumerates four mistakes in his article, starting with the
|decision to upgrade to a new version of SunOS. IMO he forgot to count
|one, described in the lead sentence, "we had lost the operating system
|media and documentation."
He got to wondering if there is an equivalent of the VMS BACKUP/IMAGE and
restore for SunOS, or does one have to re-install the system if a disk gets
trashed and needs to be replaced.
I found note 186.0 in this conference, in which the following question was
asked, but apparently not answered:
|What DO people do in the general Unix world if a disk or partition(s)
|get trashed even if they have full dumps of everything?
My colleague does some long-distance database consulting that involves Sun
Sparcstations at another university. System "management" is done by a
professor-type person who seems to be operating under the assumption that the
only things he'll ever restore from backups are individual files here and there.
My friend is curious as to what the options are when the disk goes bad.
(07/20/93 Matuscak: Its ugly)
------------------------------
I don't know about how Sun does it. In the case of Ultrix, you have to boot
the installation media. This creates a memory based Ultrix that you can use to
restore a dump tape. This is imilar to SA backup. Of course, you also have to
run MAKEDEV to define the disk you're restoring to, a newfs, maybe change the
partition sizes, and possibly copy the bootblocks manually. Of course, the dumps
are supposed to be created with the system shutdown to single user mode. All in
all, it's pretty close to what I recall VMS having with DSC in the V2 (or was it
V1?) days, ca. 1979, just messier and cryptic.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 30
(07/20/93 Kennedy: What we do here)
------------------------------------
> |What DO people do in the general Unix world if a disk or partition(s)
> |get trashed even if they have full dumps of everything?
It depends on what disk it is. If it's a partition that the system needs
to boot (/, /usr, /var, /etc or /tmp if they're on individual partitions),
then you'll need to boot the installation media, do the equivalebnt of a VMS
INIT on the partition(s), and then restore your backup(s). On the SPC super-
servers we build, this involves a floppy which holds the system configuration
information (such as disk layout, etc.) and a CD-ROM with the complete OS on
it. You put those in the appropriate drives and boot and you have a full system
with all utilities (although it's slow because it comes from the CD-ROM). In
our case, we would then rrestore the dumps from the archive server*. You then
shutdown normally, remove the floppy and CD-ROM, and reboot to be back in
business.
If it was a data partition/disk, then you don't need to do any of that -
you can just restore or rrestore your backup with the system up.
* Our archive server uses rewritable media to store rdump backups of all of
the client systems, done nightly. A full week's worth of these dumps live on
the archive server, so anything can be restored without having to mount any
media. Weekly, the archive server copies the accumulated dumps to 4mm tapes
(in a stacker) using VMS BACKUP format.
Non-commercial non-disclaimer: This describes an experimental system we are
looking at as part of our move away from VMS. At this time neither I personally
nor SPC are selling/distributing any of the hardware/software components of the
systems, although that may happen in the future. There will probably be a
magazine article authored by me within the next 6 months, describing the design
and implementation of the systems. I'll try to ensure that I can post it here
on DECUServe, but that may be well after publication (the only reason a magazine
runs articles is to boost circulation/advertising and they don't like
prepublication copies being widely circulated)
(07/29/93 Mayhew: Alternate bootable filesystem)
-------------------------------------------------
The best approach that I found to this problem, back when I was managing
UNIX systems day-in-and-day-out, was to keep a bootable version of the system,
including the utilities necessary to build a new disk (restore, mkfs, etc.), on
at least one other drive... and preferably on every other drive you own. This
shouldn't take up *too* much disk space, and certainly makes recovery easy. You
simply boot from the alternate drive, then "mkfs" a new file system on the
scrogged drive, then restore from the tape(s) onto the new file system.
(07/29/93 Gorentz: Sounds like the way to go)
----------------------------------------------
Thanks, Bill. That is what my colleague is hoping will be done, I think.
Maybe he will make an unsolicited recommendation. By the way, this is taking
place at a "museum" in an old, well-known university near where you live. Ever
since I read somewhere that you have museums among your clients, I've been
meaning to ask if you have (or have ever had) a connection with these people.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 31
(07/29/93 Kennedy: A word of caution)
--------------------------------------
> The best approach that I found to this problem, back when I was ...
> ... preferably on every other drive you own.
Just don't rely on this as your *only* method, as some controller failures
will cause data loss on multiple drives.
Also, although less important with a stable production OS, be sure to track
OS changes in your backup copy, or you may find that it doesn't work any more.
(08/01/93 Mayhew)
-----------------
True. I neglected to mention that when I was doing this, I had at least one
removable-pack drive on each system, so I would be sure to have at least one
bootable copy of the O/S on a removable volume, where it is reasonably safe.
And if the fixed-pack copies all failed AND the removable-pack copy failed, I
knew where the distribution media were... but that was clearly the least
desirable method :-)
> Also, although less important with a stable production OS, be sure to track
> OS changes in your backup copy, or you may find that it doesn't work any more.
Well, presumably one would continue to back up one's system disk on some
regular basis, e.g. after every upgrade. You don't need all the latest
bells-and-whistles in something whose sole purpose is to give you a bootstrap
path to getting back on the air. As long as you can boot *something*, which
will in turn let you restore your newest backup to the system disk, you're OK.
(You knew this, of course, but I figured it should be pointed out for
completeness.)
Puns
----
The following article is an extract of the DECUServe
Hobbies_and_Interests conference topic 102. The discussion
occurred between March 22, 1993 and August 5, 1993.
By Jane Furze, Galen Tackett, Rick Carter, Mark Shumaker, David Mischler,
Rob Brown, Jamie Hanrahan, Deb Baddorf, John Burnet, Dave Jerome,
Malcolm Dunnett, Brian Tillman, Richard Norman, Bret Wortman, Curt Snyder,
Arnold De Larisch, Charlie Luce Jr., Rick Morrison, Bruce Bowler,
Lee Gleason
(03/22/93 Furze)
----------------
I'm starting a stream for puns so those who claim they cannot stand them
can claim to be doing a keypad , without reading them.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 32
(03/22/93 Furze: #1)
---------------------
What did the budist say to the dentist?
No anesthetic, thank you. I can transcend dental medication.
(03/22/93 Furze: #2)
---------------------
What do you call a pessimistic Californian who happens to be an renowned
expert on the subject of bad breath?
Super-Calif-fatalistic-expert-halitosis
(03/22/93 Tackett: Beached Burger)
-----------------------------------
What do you get when you're having a barbecue at the beach and the meat
falls out of your hamburger?
Sandi Patti
(A Christian recording artist, in case you don't recognize the name.)
(03/23/93 Carter)
-----------------
Did you see the headline about the dwarf psychic who escaped from prison?
Small Medium at Large
(03/23/93 Shumaker)
-------------------
I was recently in a small upscale town in southern California, staying
with an acquaintence who lived near the old-money neighborhood. There was
one man who kept a pet lion (an old one who was quite laid back), and another
who kept dolphins in his pool. That kind of neighborhood. Now, the dolphins
were not just your common bottle-nosed variety, but they had been in the
family for many generations -- when great-great- great-grandfather Ephriam
had been running a whaling ship out of Gloucester, he had come across them
near the Seychelles and had brought back a pair. The unique thing about
these dolphins was that, if they were fed a red-footed gull every few weeks,
they would live forever.
So, their present owner returned one day from a successful red-footed
gull hunt. As he came up the walk, he noticed that the lion from next door
was lying asleep across the walk. While stepping carefully over the lion, he
was immediately arrested by a team of police, and charged with transporting
gulls across a staid lion for immortal porpoises.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 33
(03/23/93 Mischler: A short one...)
------------------------------------
I have always wanted to meet a city-dwelling dwarf who was willing to refer
to himself as a metro-gnome.
Especially if he is never late.
(03/24/93 Brown: Get out your dictionaries)
--------------------------------------------
Might not actually be a pun, but ...
Did you hear the one about the dyslexic, agnostic insomniac?
He was up all night wondering if there was a dog!
(03/24/93 Hanrahan: That reminds me of...)
-------------------------------------------
A guy who lives down the street used to be into flagellation, necrophilia,
and bestiality -- but eventually he realized he was just beating a dead horse.
(03/24/93 Baddorf: This one struck my fancy)
---------------------------------------------
From the net, a bit ago (around inauguration time):
Q: What kind of computer music will President Clinton play on
his saxophone?
A: Al Gore rhythms.
--- Cornell U Linguistics Dept
(03/24/93 Burnet: (You have nothing to lose but your shoelaces...))
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> Did you hear the one about the dyslexic, agnostic insomniac?
That reminds me of the bumper sticker that says:
Dyslexics of the world, untie!
(03/25/93 Jerome: Kinda long, but I like it)
---------------------------------------------
Don't remember where I got this...
PRILEP, Yugoslavia (AP) - Outside a small Macedonian village close to the border
between Greece and strife-torn Yugoslavia, a lone Catholic nun keeps a quiet
watch over a silent convent. She is the last caretaker of the site of
significant historical developments spanning more than 2,000 years.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 34
When Sister Maria Cyrilla of the Order of the Perpetual Watch dies, the convent
of St. Elias will be closed by the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Macedonia.
However, that isn't likely to happen soon as Sister Maria, 53, enjoys excellent
health.
By her own estimate, she walks 10 miles daily about the grounds of the convent,
which once served as a base for the army of Attila the Hun. In more ancient
times, a Greek temple to Eros, the god of love, occupied the hilltop site.
Historians say that Attila took over the old temple in 439 A.D. and used it as a
base for his marauding army.
The Huns are believed to have first collected and then destroyed a large
gathering of Greek legal writs at the site.
It is believed that Attila wanted to study the Greek legal system, and had the
writs and other documents brought to the temple. Scholars differ on why he had
the valuable documents destroyed - either because he was barely literate and
couldn't read them, or because they provided evidence of democratic government
that did not square with his own notion of rule by an all-powerful tyrant.
When the Greek church took over the site in the 15th Century and the convent was
built, church leaders ordered the pagan statue of Eros destroyed, so another
ancient Greek treasure was lost. Today, there is only the lone sister, watching
over the old Hun base.
And that's how it ends: No Huns, no writs, no Eros, and nun left on base.
(06/18/93 Norman)
-----------------
I don't know if I saw this some place or thought it up, but in either case
I won't claim it :-)
OSF/1 : Teaching a new dog Ultrix.
(08/03/93 Tackett: Doggone diet)
---------------------------------
Know why the Shetland sheepdog didn't like the canteloupe diet
prescribed by his vet??
Because eating it made him a little melancholy! [rim shot]
(If you don't get it, say so, and I'm sure someone will spell it out.)
(08/03/93 Wortman: Ink ace ewe note iced....)
----------------------------------------------
The Anita Hill police scrapped my latest NOTES Personal Name over on DCS,
so if you're potentially offended by references to parts of the body using
clinical terminology by way of creating a pun, please read no further.
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 35
In truth, I got this from "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger", from
the Firesign Theater's album "How can you be in Two Places at Once when
you're not Anywhere at all?" [I give up trying to capitalize this title].
Here's what it was:
"Bret, at your cervix".
Listen for Nick to say to Nancy, "Who's that little man with his hand in
your mouth", to which the little man replies, "Rocky Rococco, at your
cervix."
It's barely noticeable, what with Rocky's bizarre "Mr. Cairo" accent,
but it's there.
(08/04/93 DeLarisch: Firesign Theater ... Ahhh! Great Stuff!!!)
----------------------------------------------------------------
He Walks again by night ...
Out of the fog ...
Into the Smog ...
Rentlessly ...
Ruthlessly ... (I wonder where Ruth is?)
Doggedly ... (Arrf, Arrrf)
Toward his weekly meeting with ... The Unknown!
He makes a left at 4th and Drunker ...
He makes a right at Drunker and 4th ...
He walks into a sandstone building (ouch!) ...
Turns right ...
.
.
.
He's Ready for Action!
He's Ready for Adventure!
He's ... Nick Danger 3rd Eye (I'd like to order a pepperoni pizza to go ...
hold the anchovies)
No ... I spell my name DANGER! (what?)
-Arnold (Who grew-up on Firesign Theater)
P.S. By the way, there is a Double CD comming out the end of the month which
is a "best of" Firesign Theater. The 2 CDs are reported to have each 70+
minutes including expanded (never heard before) skits. Looks interesting!
(08/04/93 Snyder: Silly question)
----------------------------------
>> Rentlessly ...
Does this mean he owns his own home?
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 36
(08/04/93 Luce: You're lucky you still have your brown paper bag)
------------------------------------------------------------------
(08/05/93 Morrison)
-------------------
Yep...they stopped right on the dime. Unfortunately, the dime was......
(08/05/93 Bowler: Oh, you mean Nancy!)
---------------------------------------
>No ... I spell my name DANGER! (what?)
Close but not quite
The last line should be "What? no anchovies? You've got the wrong man,
I spell my name DANGER."
Slightly later "I sat there reading the name on the door regnaD kciN"
(08/05/93 Gleason: multi-album joke)
-------------------------------------
It took me a few weeks of listening to these albums to get the connection
that the guy ordering pizza is on another album, and gets mildly bemused when
Danger answers the phone...
(08/05/93 Wortman: More ND
---------------------------
"...if the world were flat, all the Chinese would fall off."
Actually, the intro does this (I listened again today, but forgot to
bring the tape home):
He walked into a sandstone building. (ouch!)
Opening the door, he stepped inside....
Also, listen close -- right after Nick hangs up the phone, the guy on
the other end (!) says "What?"
I think my fave part of the album, however, is on the flip side, where
the guy wuo just bought the new car is playing with his climate control and
discovers those guys running around in his car. The whole scene is great,
but:
"I've got to find shelter, the sun is going down!"
"No, you're confused -- the horizon's moving up!"
And so on. ;-)
WordMan
Hmmmmmmmmmm, new topic time? ;-)
November 1993 The DECUServe Journal Page 37
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=====================
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-----------------------
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